We’ve received some stunning sunrise images from readers lately, which you may have noticed at the bottom of the newsletter. Which makes me wonder, where are the best places to watch a sunrise or sunset in the Westshore?
I must confess I’m not often awake and out of the house early enough to properly take in a sunrise, but I’m more likely to do so in the winter ;). Let me know your best sky watching spots!
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Langford re-tables tree bylaw to correct procedural grey area
Bare trees stand like telephone poles in Langford after a developer tried to deal with some trees before a tree protection bylaw came into effect. (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
In December when Langford hastily implemented a temporary tree bylaw until a comprehensive tree management policy could be developed, it changed an in-camera meeting to a public meeting without the required 24-hours of notice to the public. According to municipal rules, councils can waive the required notice period with unanimous agreement. On Dec. 19, Langford council unanimously voted to accept the new agenda, which implicitly showed agreement to waive notice, but they did not explicitly waive notice.
That minor grey area was pointed out by John Alexander, a lawyer hired by a group of Langford-based developers. And so the tree bylaw was put back on the agenda.
At last night’s council meeting, council received the bylaw for first, second, and third readings to eliminate that grey area—this time the agenda had been posted with more than adequate notice. At a future meeting, the bylaw will come forward for final adoption.
In the meantime, the bylaw that passed in December is still legal, in place, and enforceable, according to Langford’s director of corporate services, Braden Hutchins, who explained the details at the start of Monday’s meeting. Even when there are procedural questions, a bylaw is enforceable until the council rescinds it, or a court overturns it. It was “out of an abundance of caution” that staff recommended council re-do the tree cutting bylaw, Hutchins told the gathered crowd.
As at the Dec. 21 meeting when the bylaw was first voted into place, a crowd of residents spoke up last night, both in support and opposition.
Alexander was there representing the developers who retained his advice. He asked council to acknowledge “that sometimes proceeding without careful thought and review and rushing governance leads to poor outcomes.” He seemed to disagree with Hutchins’ comments that the content of the bylaw was still enforceable, even with the implicit/explicit waiver of notice period detail. Alexander had suggested in a press release shared last week that the bylaw might not be enforceable if it were challenged.
Many of the same people who spoke at the Dec. 21 meeting were also there on Jan. 16 to share their views; the majority were in favour. Mike Wignall, an engineer at Westbrook Consulting, was staunchly opposed on Dec. 21. On Jan 16, he expressed thanks to council for being willing to re-do the bylaw with the proper process. Though he still disagrees with the bylaw, he was impressed by their willingness to bring it back to the table.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Metchosin Council wants William Head to have veto power over prisoner transfers
A watch tower at William Head Institution at the far west side of Metchosin. Victoria is visible in the background. (📸 Zoë Ducklow/The Westshore)
At its last council meeting, Metchosin council decided to write a letter to Correctional Service Canada, requesting that prisons like William Head Institution be given veto power on prison transfers.
The request follows the 2019 escape of inmates Zachary Armitage and James Lee Busch, who escaped the Metchosin prison simply by walking away at low tide. During their escape, the inmates killed 60-year-old Martin Payne in his Metchosin home. Armitage and Busch were sentenced to life in prison after the trial concluded in November; Busch was found guilty of murder by a jury and Armitage pleaded guilty midway through the trial.
In the wake of the tragedy, the District of Metchosin has been talking to the head warden at the minimum-security prison to find out how to improve safety and rebuild trust in the community.
On Jan. 9, Mayor Marie-Térèse Little told council that the warden was open with her about what changes have occurred since 2019, and is working with Metchosin’s fire chief on emergency protocols. The district has no authority over the waterfront prison, but the institution also doesn’t control what prisoners it receives, she said. Since 2019, policies have changed to allow some prisons to provide input on prisoner transfers, but Little said they still don’t have veto power to reject an inmate.
Busch and Armitage were both violent offenders and considered at high risk to reoffend. Corrections documents obtained by Capital Daily revealed that the scales used to rank an inmate’s security level were manually overridden for both inmates.
Payne’s family filed a civil lawsuit in August against Correctional Service Canada, alleging the two men should never have been sent to a low-security institution. The family argued that Payne’s murder was a “direct and foreseeable consequence” of that decision.
LOCAL GOVERNANCE
Langford council approves its first development application
Since the new council took office, it hasn’t had any development applications at the bylaw stage. This project is a six-storey apartment building on Bray Avenue, the third project on that street to consolidate multiple single-family lots and build a multi-family building in the past 14 months.
This project, owned by six individuals, came to council last year with a proposal for a 115 unit-apartment building with 28% of its total space set aside as amenity space. Langford bylaws only require 5% of the space be used as amenity space. The plan includes greenspace on one corner that would be open to pedestrians, a sixth-floor communal balcony, and a large rooftop space for residents. Within the amenity space the developers proposed shared barbeques, fire pits, play structures, and garden beds.
The city will collect almost $1 million in development cost charges, allocated to accounts earmarked for general amenities, affordable housing, roads, park improvement and acquisition, incremental storage improvement fees, CRD water fund, and school acquisitions. It passed unanimously—both by the previous council, which got it to third reading, and the current council that approved it.
Around the 'Shore
🚧 **A year of construction begins on Goldstream Avenue:**Two old water mains under Goldstream Avenue are being replaced with one larger main. Construction just started at the intersection of Goldstream and Veterans Memorial Parkway, and will proceed in sections westward to Leigh Road. Construction work is expected to wrap up in December. All businesses will remain open; expect traffic delays.
🧑🏽 🦼Quadriplegic man trapped after elevator breaks down—but media attention causes strata to have a change of heart. Phil Nealy had been unable to leave his third floor apartment for three weeks, and was getting nowhere until he turned to journalists to share his story. [CHEK]
🍽️ Dine Around and Stay in Town Victoria returns January 20 – February 5. Choose from over 40 local restaurants and experience Victoria’s vibrant culinary scene this winter!*
🛼 ICYMI: Colwood teen “Scream Soda” roller derby skater is going national. Naomi Morrell will represent Canada at the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in France. [Capital Daily]
⚓️ Canadian navy will resume gun training off the coast: says noise from small guns is “negligible”. When whales are coming near the practice area—about one kilometre offshore between sooke and Port Renfrew—the navy is informed by the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Mammal Desk, so it can stop practice immediately. Noise created by the small guns are below the underwater disturbance threshold, a study commissioned by the navy found. The Canadian Armed Forces stopped surface gun training in 2019 out of an “abundance of caution” for potential noise interference to the Southern Resident Killer Whales and other marine wildlife; it will resume surface gun training this month.
*Sponsored Listing
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
TOGETHER WITH REIMAGINE WORK
Not your average “HR” workshops
New year, same old leadership strategies? Maybe it’s time for a fresh take! Whether you’re looking to recruit your A-team, dial in your retention strategy, or decipher employment legislation, Reimagine Work’s 3-part workshop series sets the groundwork to lead people well.
With simple-to-action, forward-thinking solutions in mind, these interactive sessions are designed to provide owners and managers of start-ups and small businesses with tools to manage their people ops proactively. Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all, so all workshops are offered both in-person (in Victoria) and virtually.
Community Events
🙋🏻 ♀️ Bamberton Quarry information period starts today: BC’s Environmental Assessment Office is considering whether the quarry and foreshore expansion should have formal environmental assessments. A public comment period opens on today, when the office’s interim report will be shared. At an online information session on Feb. 2, people can ask questions of the EAO, Malahat Investment Corporation, or the Saanich Inlet Protection Society, which asked for this review, since the project doesn’t automatically trigger an environmental assessment. Neighbouring First Nations have opposed the Malahat Nation-owned quarry expansion plan because of fears that the expansion will negatively impact their territories. In case you missed it, read our story on the quarry here.
**☕️**Council and Coffee: join Sooke’s elected leaders for coffee and tell them what you really think!****“Council meetings are quite structured, so we hope this will be a refreshing opportunity for residents to connect with their elected officials in a more casual setting,” said Mayor Maja Tait. The first of the monthly coffee chats will be Jan. 23, 1-2:30pm at the Sooke Municipal Hall, 2205 Otter Point Road.
🧊🥶🧤 **The coldest night of the year fundraising walk:**Join walkers in Langford or Sooke on Feb. 25. The Langford walk will jointly benefit Our Place’s New Roads recovery home in View Royal and Pacific Centre Family Services Association. The evening walk starts at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre. In Sooke donations go to the Sooke Shelter Society. Meet at the Evergreen Centre Mall’s gazebo at 4pm. There is a 2.5km and 5km route at both locations. “Team up, fundraise, walk, and gather for good... because it's cold out there.”
What’s Offshore?
Esquimalt Lagoon looking towards Washington State, taken on Jan. 16, 2023 (📸 Zoë Ducklow)
🚢 #1 The CSL Tecumseh is a self-discharging bulk carrier built in 2013 and is sailing under the flag of Bahamas. It had been sailing back and forth between 🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Port McNeill ➡ 🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA ➡ 🇨🇦 Victoria, BC when it had a mechanical issue, and was towed to the Esquimalt Lagoon on Dec. 24, 2022.
⛴ #2 The Shoyoh is a bulk carrier built in 2013 sailing under the flag of Japan. It is sailing from 🇯🇵 Soma, Japan ➡ 🇨🇦 Tsawwassen and was scheduled to arrive on Dec. 26, 2022, but has been moored off the coast of the Esquimalt Lagoon since just after Christmas.
🛳 #3 The Golden Magnum is a bulk carrier built in 2009 and is sailing under the flag of Hong Kong. It is sailing from 🇨🇳 Jiangyin, China ➡ 🇨🇦 Vancouver, BC and was scheduled to arrive on Jan. 1.
SPONSORED POST. CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE WESTSHORE.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ELIZA AT ROYAL BAY
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The people have spoken, and Eliza is a success. Book your appointment today!
Westshore Snaps
"Happy to be at Costco ... or whatever." — Nicola de Layen, Langford
📸 Snapped a photo you’d like to share? Send it with a caption and don’t forget to add where you live.